


The Christmas After

by SniperMoran



Series: Some Nights [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eventual Wolfstar - Freeform, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, the Christmas after
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 18:14:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12989730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SniperMoran/pseuds/SniperMoran
Summary: The Christmas after Sirius ran away from home. Things still aren't the same and the holiday is even gloomier than it would usually be.Some nights he can forget about them and forget about all he'd been through.Some nights he catches a glimpse of the scars he tries so hard to hide and worries for Regulus.Some nights his friends are the only ones keeping him together.Some nights are better than others.





	The Christmas After

It was often that Sirius had nightmares, even now that he was free of their cause. As snow fell that year, though, they seemed to only be worse, as he remembered the previous Christmas holiday and the torment he had endured.  
He woke up screaming most nights, and James would wake to it and beckon Sirius to his bed where he would hold his best friend close to himself and play with his fingers through the other boy's long dark hair until he felt the evening of his breaths.  
Some nights, they tried sleeping in the same bed from the beginning, but it never turned out well for James, as he'd either wake with a mouthful of long dark hair, or he'd wake at a sharp pain to his side or leg as Sirius thrashed about and hit against him.

It was hard, seeing his best mate so torn apart, even now that he was free from that awful witches' claws. He still never talked about it, never told James or Remus what really had happened, just that he'd finally had enough of his parents and he had decided to run away. It was all the Potter's had needed, seeing how bad off he'd been when he'd tumbled from their fireplace the Christmas before.  
It was good that Euphemia had knowledge and training in healing magic and had been able to take care of most of Sirius' injuries; but nothing could heal that mental wound except perhaps time.

So when Sirius asked to stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas hols, James wasn't overly surprised, nor was Remus, and both boys decidedly stayed with him to keep him company. The Potter's, of course, were slightly disappointed, but knee the boys would still be safe at the school, and their gifts could just as well be sent to them.

"Sirius, come on, mate...The feast will be starting soon and I know for sure Moony doesn't want to miss it," James called through the bathroom door.  
There was a disgruntled 'hey' that was clearly Remus, and one could almost hear the disdainful look on the boy's face.

Sirius sat in the bathtub, the water off and his clothes on, fingers tangled in his mess of black hair. "Well, go on, then. I'll be...I'll be fine. Come down in a bit, probably. Don't want you lot missing out on my behalf," he called, voice cracking slightly as he stared at the wall opposite him, his eyes wide and his cheeks tear stained.  
His baby brother would be having that same stupid family meeting this year, as he'd had the previous year. He'd been worrying over it continually as the time had gotten closer and his nightmares had morphed from skewed experiences of his own, to dramatized scenes of his brother enduring the torment he'd been made to go through, or...his brother actually joining in the family's cause.  
He still wasn't quite sure which of these thoughts was worse.

There were murmurs outside the door, but with his newly enhanced hearing, Sirius was able to hear their words rather clearly:  
"Alright, well...I tried. Moony, it's your go, he listens to you far more than he listens to me anymore," James grumbled, trying not to sound too hurt about that.  
"He might just need some time, James...It /is/ his first Christmas after--" Remus' voice trailed off, like he finally remembered his canine fellow would be able to hear him. He cleared his throat and spoke louder, clearly having stepped closer to the door now. "Sirius, if you need some time, I understand. I do. You know I do. Maybe more than others might understand," he paused and Sirius heard a sound from James and a soft apology from Remus. "But you can't lock yourself away like this. It doesn't help, at all. Come to the feast and then after, we can hole up and play some exploding snap or chess or something. Whatever you want," he added, his voice soft and full of care.

Sirius thought about it, tugging at his own hair for a little before he forced himself to push up out of the tub and stalk to the door. He threw it open and stared at the two boys waiting expectantly on the other side. "Well don't just fucking stand there like idiots..." he muttered, cheeks flushed slightly as he scrubbed at his face to attempt hiding his tears. "Are we going to the feast or no?" he grumbled, pushing past the other two and making his way from the Common Room, expecting the boys to follow behind to the Great Hall.


End file.
